An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

Jing Chunxi's fiancé went south on business, and Jing Qiurong's husband was stationed in Daqingshan for a long time due to his duties, so the house suddenly became much quieter.

The triplets can now sit steadily and crawl around, especially the second and third ones. They are naturally fond of lively places, love to play and make noises, and can't sit still for a moment. As soon as the sun rises, they stretch out their hands and point outside.

So the mother and daughter often took their children to the General's Mansion, so that the children would have playmates and could spend more time with their family.

In addition, the Princess of Hongjun also loved to be lively, and she often brought her two children to join in the fun. Four children of similar age gathered together, spread out a few mats and laughed and played, which was really lively.

Several mothers were drinking tea and chatting, exchanging parenting experiences, and they were having a great time. As a result, they naturally spent more time in the General's Mansion.

Nowadays, unless summoned by the palace, Prince Jing would often spend time at the Grand General's residence, drinking with the old general or playing a few rounds of chess, determined to determine the winner. Seeing the bustle of the residence, and worried that the old princess would be lonely at home, he often encouraged her to go talk to her old friends and relax.

By July, Jing Mingyue was also diagnosed with pregnancy. The joy of becoming a new mother led her to visit her parents' home daily, sharing pregnancy tips with the experienced Feng Jiaojiao. Tao Chengrui, a seventh-rank official in the Ministry of Revenue, would make a detour to pick her up after his daily shift, and the couple often had dinner at their in-laws' home before returning home together.

As a result, the Grand General's Mansion became a secondary dining hall for the four mansions: Prince Jing's Mansion, Prince Hong's Mansion, Earl Rong'en's Mansion, and Duke Ning's Mansion. With the daily bustle of people coming and going, laughter and chatter, it naturally became a place where news from various families gathered and gossiped.

"Do you know General Ling Fengling, the governor of Lingnan?" Prince Jing suddenly asked him a question during dinner one day, which made Jing Chang'an stunned for a moment before he replied.

"Ling Feng and I used to be colleagues in the army. He's a few years older than me," Jing Chang'an put down his chopsticks and replied seriously. "He's a very principled person and is decisive in his actions, but in private he's very kind and generous. He and I have similar personalities, and we often drank and chatted together in our early years. We exchanged letters in the early years, but then I disappeared and we lost contact."

"That's right," Prince Jing stroked his beard and nodded, "No wonder he didn't come to you directly."

Prince Jing's words were so incoherent that Jing Chang'an thought something had happened to Ling Feng and asked with concern, "But what difficulties have you encountered, Brother Ling? Is there anything Chang'an can help with?"

"This matter needs your approval!" Prince Jing said, then turned and looked at the old princess beside him with a smile.

"It's like this," the old princess understood and took over the conversation. "Yesterday, Madam Ling came to see me in person, saying that her master had seen your Sanlang twice while on patrol in Leizhou and fell in love with him."

These words set off alarm bells in the hearts of all the Jing family members present. Second Madam Yin was particularly alarmed. She quickly waved her hand and refused, "I only have this one legitimate son. If he wanted to join the army, he wouldn't have waited until now. This..."

"I knew you would misunderstand." The old princess smiled and looked at Jing Chang'an and Yin and explained, "I'm not going to join the army. It's just that Lord Ling is impressed by Sanlang's character. Lord Ling thinks Sanlang's introverted and steady personality is a perfect complement to his family's lively and outgoing eldest daughter, so he is interested in forming a family relationship with you."

"Ah! My Sanlang?" Yin was stunned at first, then suddenly realized. Touching her already heavy belly, the worry between her brows instantly relaxed. She looked at Jing Changan excitedly, and then followed his gaze to look at the old lady and the old general.

The old lady immediately said to the eldest lady, "I told you that good things will come when they are supposed to." Zhuang smiled awkwardly and nodded.

"Originally, the eldest son's wife wanted to hold a spring banquet for the children to meet each other, but since Erlang left, it never happened." The old princess smiled. "Autumn is almost here, why not hold an autumn banquet? Also send an invitation to the Ling Mansion, and then let Sister Xi and a few other young ladies help to review it. With them overseeing it, there's no way it can go wrong."

"Ah! That's great!" Sister Jin was the first to put down her chopsticks and applaud. "By then, we'll have already decided on the second brother's wife. When he comes back, we'll let him go straight to the bridal chamber!"

"That's right," the other sisters also agreed with a smile, "Maybe Fourth Brother's marriage will be successful!"

"You naughty monkey," the old lady scolded with a smile, "you are always so careless. Be careful that other young men will look down on you and you won't be able to get married in the future."

"Then I won't marry," Jin Jie'er wrinkled her nose playfully. "If you dare to despise me, I will stay at home and be filial to my grandmother for the rest of my life!"

"I can't bear that. I can't stand your torture."

After saying this, everyone laughed. There was laughter in the flower hall and the sunset was just right outside.

"Grandmother, mother, can the autumn banquet be postponed for ten days?" Jing Mingyue suddenly spoke softly, her voice like pearls falling on a jade plate, and it was particularly clear in the noisy room, surprising everyone.

As she spoke, her fingertips gently grasped the handkerchief, and her eyes moved with a hint of cautious tentativeness.

She quietly nudged Tao Chengrui beside her with her elbow, and Tao Chengrui understood and held her slightly cold hand, and the reassuring warmth came from his broad palm.

He looked around at everyone calmly, then spoke softly, "Madam has been complaining lately that there are too few masters in the Duke's Mansion, and the courtyard is empty, with no one to talk to.

He often heard the princess and her son-in-law talk about the interesting things that happened to Ayue and Aheng in Jiangnan, so he wrote a letter to his aunt in Jiangnan, asking her to send Ayue and Aheng back to the capital.

Counting the days, the two children should be on their way by now, exhausted from the journey, and they should arrive in about eight or nine days. If the Autumn Banquet could be postponed for ten days, they would be able to attend and get to know more school-aged children and playmates of similar age in the capital.

As for Ah Heng, I can personally teach him a few things, help him get acquainted with the customs and practices of the capital, and even give him some pointers on matters related to the imperial examinations."

"Really? Ah Heng and Ah Yue are coming back?" Jing Chunxi was so surprised that he almost dropped the ivory chopsticks in his hand on the table. He quickly reached out to steady them, and a smile appeared in the corners of his eyes and eyebrows.

"I don't know what's going on in Ah Heng's mind. He always reports good news but never bad news, and his letters only contain reflections on his studies and interesting stories from Jiangnan. But Ah Yue is different. Every letter she writes reveals her longing for the capital. She always says she wants to come visit us there, and she writes to Xiaoyu and me every now and then, rambling on about her life picking lotus seeds and embroidering purses in Jiangnan."

"That's exactly what I was thinking," Jing Mingyue took over the conversation, a bright smile on her lips. "With Ah Yue back, I'll have a companion, even for meals. When my cousin gives birth and I'm unable to take care of her, I'll leave her in the care of the princess and Xiaoyu."

"Why not?" Jing Chunxi clapped his hands and smiled. "It's a good opportunity for Ah Yue to learn some etiquette and practice music, chess, calligraphy, and painting with the other sisters. Then she won't have to travel back and forth. Let her stay with me! I have two empty rooms in my yard, perfect for her."

"I said you would come back to keep me company, but you tried to steal me away from me." Jing Mingyue was fed up.

"And Ah Heng," Jing Chunxi ignored her and continued, "Let him attend Wenhua Academy as well. We kids will help take care of him while he's at school. He's only two years older than Pu Ge'er, but he's a good student. If you're confident, let him live here during the holidays. He can eat and live with Pu Ge'er, and the two kids can learn from each other, which will also be a boost to their studies."

I thought of Ah Heng, the child's quirky yet calm demeanor, and his exceptional dedication to learning. After his family's downfall, he'd experienced so much, even becoming a beggar. He'd seen the ups and downs of life at such a young age, and his thinking was much more mature than his peers, understanding everything from interpersonal relationships to the ways of the world.

Compared to Pu Ge'er, who suffered misfortunes but was carefully cared for by her and his mother, his precocity and tenacity are indeed worth learning.

"Then postpone it," the old lady said, tapping the ground with her sandalwood cane, her final word. "It would be best to postpone it for twelve or thirteen days, so they don't have to travel all the way back and have no time to rest before having to attend the banquet. We can use this time to make better preparations. Eldest wife, send someone to the flower gardens outside the city to find some rare autumn chrysanthemums and red osmanthus to decorate the garden."

She turned to Tao Chengrui and his wife, her kind eyes filled with anticipation. "They must be very lovable children. Bring them to me when the time comes, so I can also see these two little ones you keep talking about."

"Yes, grandma!" At this moment, a satisfied smile appeared on Jing Mingyue's face, like ripples on spring water.

She winked at Jing Chunxi quietly, her long eyelashes fluttering with a hint of cunning, as if some evil plan had succeeded, and her fingers in her sleeves gently hooked the corner of Tao Chengrui's clothes.